What A Farce

The Aftermath Report™
Commentary by Dr. T. McGuinness
DeadlyStorms.com & TropicalStorms.us
September 12th, 2005

FROM THE TIMES-PICAYUNE WEBSITE
Sunday, September 11, 2005

Contamination little threat to humans, but could detroy lawns
By Mark Schleifstein, Staff writer, TIMES-PICAYUNE

"New test results released by the federal Environmental Protection Agency Sunday evening confirm that toxic chemicals contained in floodwaters in New Orleans and Metairie are in concentrations too small to be an immediate threat to humans.

But so much saltwater has entered the city that it could be very difficult to grow a lawn for a very long time, according to Wilma Subra, an independent chemist from New Iberia who often advises environmental groups.The federal agency collected water samples from six locations on the east bank of Orleans and Jefferson parishes on Sept. 3, five days after Hurricane Katrina decimated the area.

As it reported last Wednesday, EPA found very high levels of lead in water sampled at the North Claiborne Avenue exit off Interstate 10 in New Orleans. The 846 parts per billion of lead far exceeds the agency’s 15 ppb standard for drinking water.On Saturday, the agency announced it found as many as 2,400 colonies of E. coli bacteria in water samples in the city, far above EPA’s 200-colony limit for human contact. Presence of the bacteria is an indicator of human and animal waste in water, which pose a risk of illness or infection.

The chemical samples make it clear that the water has been contaminated with wastes washed out of several sewage treatment plants.Several of the samples contain high levels of chemicals often associated with treatment plants, including magnesium, manganese, caffeine, aluminum and potassium.

At the Claiborne Avenue sample location where high levels of lead were found, the water also contained measurable amounts of chromium and copper and high levels of zinc and iron, which could indicate that wastes from a metal plating business were mixed in the water, Subra said. It also contained chemicals used as flocculants in sewage treatment plants to cause solids in wastewater to stick together.

That sample also contained 1.06 parts per billion of mercury, below EPA’s 2 ppb limit. Several of the samples also contained small amounts of 2,4-D, atrazine and herbicides that may have come from yards or roadways, and small amounts of Endrin and Dieldrin, both long-banned pesticides.

Subra said that while the small amounts of toxic chemicals might pose no immediate risk, lengthy exposure could be a problem. And she said the test results could be an indicator that much higher amounts of some of the chemicals that don’t mix well with water could be found in the muddy remains when the floodwaters are pumped out of the city.

Homeowners, however, may find the effects of the brackish water from Lake Pontchartrain to be their biggest long-term problem. The test results show levels of sodium in New Orleans between 1.7 million parts per billion and 2.6 million parts per billion. The lowest level, 337,000 parts per billion, was found at the intersection of Airline Highway and Causeway Boulevard. EPA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials have urged people to avoid contact with the floodwaters because of both the bacterial threat and the high levels of lead. The lead levels are of concern if a child ingests large amounts of the contaminated water.

EPA and the state Department of Environmental Quality are continuing to sample the floodwaters at various locations in the city, even as the water is being pumped out."

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Editor's Commentary:

Isn't this a bit self serving at this state? We don't even have the boddies out of the city, much less the city evacuated fully, and the local newpaper is declaring the city safe! Of course the lead contamination is only a problem if you drink the water! What about the countless gardens that used to exist in the city? Will those that homestead in the city in the future be prohibited from raising and harvesting anything from their own ground? Of course with the high levels of sodium, it may be unlikely that anything worth eating will grow for many many years to come anyway! Perhaps we can also prohibit children from touching the ground, or playing in their yards! What about dust? Once the city dries out will the contaminants become airborne? We could always equip each dwelling with Sharper Image air cleaners!

Chemists that I have spoken to, believe that the level of contamination can not yet be assessed, since many of the more hazardous brews sink to the bottom, and may have been absorbed by the now submerged soil. However, they suspect a vastly greater problem that was reported! They believe that to detoxify the city, will be a massive undertaking, equal to decontaminations of previous eras (such as Love Canal).

In my opinion, now is not the time for false hope. Now is the time for hard reality.

Let's get this city under full control - sans populous - and seriously study the problem. Let's not rush to return hapless evacuees to a city potentially more lethal than when they lived there!